Automatic garage-door



H. GROVES.

AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.15,192o.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

www um QQ u s u @mm ich HARRY GROVES, INVENToR.

BY vz/0L W ATTORNEY.

H. GROVES.

AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 1s. 1920.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

20 IU III III/20D HARRY GR O V55' 205 IN VEN TOR.

A BYCZa/I/al ATTORNEY.

HARRY GROVES, OF BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON.

A'U'l'lOll/.EATICr GARAGE-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patented (1ct. 25, 1921.

Application mea November 15, 1920. serial No. 424,174.

To @ZZ wlw/nt t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY Gnovns. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bellingham, in the county of Whatcom and,` State of Vashington, have invented new and useful Automatic Garage-Doors, of which the followingv is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic garage doors, and the objects of my invention are: to provide suitably hung garage doors and mechanism to operate the same made operable by the entering and departing automobiles, to provide for the operation of said doors by hand without the intervention of said mechanism, to provide for the automatic fastening and unfastening of said doors, to cause the automatic opening and closing of the doors to be safeguarded by slow and not resistless movements, to provide against the undesired automatic operation of the mechanism by passing animals, to provide suitable locking mechanism, and other desirable conveniences as will more fully appear.

I attain these objects with the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of double garage doors with my operating mechanism connected thereto, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a separated, side-elevation view of parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2, Fig. 4 is the development of a cam, Fig. 5 is a rear elevation view of the garage doors drawn on a larger scale, Fig. 6 is a front elevation of'one of said garage doors, Fig. 7 is a plan view of a part of Fig. 5 in section on the line 7&7, Fig. 8 is an elevation of a partof Fig. 5 in section on the line 8 8, Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 1, Fig. 10 is an elevation ofFig. 9 in section on the line 10-10, 1l is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 1. and Fig. 12 is an elevation of Fig. 1-1 in section on the bent line 12,*12.

Similar characters refer to" similar parts throughout. Certain parts are broken away for the lack of illustrating space or to show other parts hidden thereby. Other operative positions of moving parts are shown in dotted outlines, and the direction of movement of some pivoted parts is shown by dotted circular arcs. y

More particularly: 14'is the garageY floor and the street infront of thesame. v14a is 14* the` Hoor a door stop onl s'aiolfiioorxV of a pit beneath the garage fioor and between the doors, and below the operating platforms both in front of the garage and within the same. 14C and 14d are two stops fastened to Hoor 14h.

15 is a plate covering an opening in floor 14, between the doors, through which access isl afforded to the mechanism beneath.

16 is the front wall of the garage. 16a is a top door stop.

1T and 18 are garage double doors, said doors are swingably mounted on or with vertical shafts 20 and 21 respectively.

19, 19 are spring door hinges, one used on each of doors 2O and 21, only one being shown. The illustration shows a wellknown form of spring hinge in which 19 is the housing, 19a is a block bearing on the spring and, through the medium of a roller, on an oval boss, 19b is a helical Spring bearing under compression on block 19a, 19c is an oval boss rigidly mounted on shaft 20 having a groove at each quadrant to seat said roller, and the purpose of the hinge is to automatically return the door to a quadrant position in rotation and to provide a resilient and not positive connection between the door and its shaft.

20 and 21 are vertical shafts on which doors 17 and 18 are respectively mounted. Each door is free to turn about its shaft except for the opposition of spring 19": the normal settingV of said door on its shaft is localized to one of the shaft quadrants b v said spring, which localization is sutiicient to cause the door to turn with its shaft under ordinary operative conditions. 20" and 21b are spur gears mounted fixed near the lower ends of shafts 2O and 21 respectively.

22, 22 are bearings fastened to garage front 16 for mounting the upper ends of shafts 20 and 21, only one of said bea-rings being shown in Fig.

23 and 24 are vertical locking bars for doors 17' and 18 respectively. said bars have hooked lower ends 28 and 24a respectively. 23h, 23b and 24h, 24b are slideways fastened to doors 17 and 1 8 for bars 23 and 24 respectively.- 23c and 24c are studs in front 16 for mounting upper door latches 23e and 24e respectively. 23d and 24d are beveled strike surfaces on latches 23e and 24e respectively. 23f and 24t are counterweights en latches 23e a11d-24 respectively.- 23g and lll) 24g are stops to limit downward movement of top latches 23e and 246. 23h and 24h are toothed racks on bars 23 and 24.

25 and 26 are segmental spur gears respectively engaged with racks 23 and 24 and mounted for rotation on bolts 25n and 26aL on doors 17 and 18 respectively. 25b and 26b are counterweights on gears 25 and 26 respectively, and are heavy enough to overbalance the weight of said bars and said top door latches and normally bear on stop pins 25d and 26d respectively. 25C and 26e are stop pins to limit the upward movement of said counterweights. 25c and 26C are handles on said counterweighted gears.

27 and 28 are locks respectively fastened to doors 17 and 18 and each has a bolt suited to engage with a notch in one of said counterweights when it is against its lower stop.

29 is a platform mounted in an opening through floor 14 in front of the garage doors on the exterior and its top is normally flush with said floor. 29a, 29a, 29, 29n are four studs pendant from the lower side of platform 29 mounted in slideways 31a in cross bars 31, 31.

30 is a platform mounted in an opening through licor 14 within the garage and to the rear of said garage doors and its top is normally flush with said floor. 30, 30, 30, 30'"L are four studs pendant from the bottom of platform 30 mounted in slideways 32a in crossbars 32, 32. 29b and 301 are central lugs on the bottom of said platforms.

Said fourvcrossbars 31 and 32 are fastened to the lower side of floor 14 and.y besides providing slideways for said studs, furnish stops for the lowest positions of said platforms.

33 and 34 are links pivoted to lugs 29b and 30h and to dashpot pistons and 36 respectively. Said dashpot pistons are mounted for reciprocation in dashpots 37 L and 38 respectively fastened to floor .14 beneath platforms 29 and 30. 37L and 38; are two valves each controlling an air outlet from cylinders 37 and 38.

39 and 4() are two bearing brackets respectively fastened to floor 14b beneath platforms 29 and 30.

41, 43 and 45 are the arms of a T crank pivotally mounted on bracket 39. Arm 43 has a slot pivotally `connected with link 33. And arm 45 carries an adjustable counterweight 45a, normally bearing on stop14c.

`42,44 and 46 are the arms of a pivotally mounted on bracket 40. Arm 44 has a slot pivotally engaged with link 34. Arm 46 bears-an adjustable counterweight 46a, normally bearing on stop 14d.

47 is a link one end of which is pivotally .connected to the upper end of-T crank arm 41 'and the other end has slot 47n engaged with 'a pin .51v fon lthe upper .end of double T crankV crank 51. 47" is an inclined-surface boss on the upper side of link 47.

48 is a link one end of which is pivotally connected tothe upper end of 'l'A crank arm 42 and its other end has slot 48 engaged with pin 51b on the lower end of double crank 51. Link 48 extends beyond. slot 48il and bent upward to lay along side of link 47 and bears on its upperl end inclinedwsurface boss 48". Y

49 is a bearing pedestal fastened to floor 14" beneath the middle of floor plate 15. 49 is a stop pin in one of the brackets of pedestal 49 to limit the movement of double crank 51.

5() is a shaft mounted for revolution in bearings on pedestal 49. y

51 is a double crank mounted xed en shaft 50, it has crank pins 51EL and 51b respectively engaged with slots 47 and 48 in links 47 and 48 and normally bears against stop 49, which is fastened and around which is wound a small cable fastened also to counterweight 51l which 51 against stop 49a. 51C is a pawl pivoted to the upper end of crank 51 in engagement with ratchet 52.

52 is a ratchet wheel mounted rigidly on shaft near crank 51.

is a cam disk fiXedly mounted on shaft 50, the development of Vwhich is shown in Fig. 4; where two contiguous quadrants, AB and BC are plain and cause no operative movement, and contiguous quadrants CD and DA are deflected and cause/an out and return movement respectively.

54 is a shifting bar mounted for endwise movement on segmental spur gears 56 and 57 and on bosses 56n and 57a concentric thereon. 0n each end of said bar is an oval 54b and 54c which operate on said bosses as slideways. On the interior of o val 541 are diagonally placed tooth notches 54d and 54e, see Figs.V Lj 11 and 12. Similar Atooth notches areV similarly placed in oval 54C, only one of which, 54c is showmthe other being occupied hy stud '55. 54@ is a notch in bar 54Venraging cam 53.

and 55 are tooth studs engaged in tapped holes 55a and 55a in gearsl 56 and 57. in engagement with said tooth notches 54b and 54". Said studs are also engageable .in holes 55"v and 55h, where they are placed when engaged with tooth notches 54e and 54C.

56 and Y57 are segmental gears mounted on studs 56b and 57b onpedestals 58 and 58 and engaged with spur gears 20h and 21b on door shafts -20 and2lj Nuts on tooth studs 55. 55 retain`barf54 in' place on said gears.V v58 anrl58iaietwo vbearing pedestals fas.- tened to floor 14b beneath shafts 29 and 21.

59, 59 are bearing boxes fastened beneath floor plate-15 and mountshaft 60.VY Y

U61 is :cpnnterweight `mountedxon shaft normally retains crank Crank 51 has a hub to ,60 to bear l closed.

on inclined-surface lugs 47" and-48h.

G2 and 63 are two lower door latches mounted for revolution on shaft 60 to engage doors 17 and 18, respectively, when Said latches have hook ends engageable with bars 23 and 24. They also have counterweights G2" and 63a, respectively, bearing on counterweight 61.

In operation: Assuming doors 1T and 1S closed and fastened by lower latches 62 and 63 and upper latches 23e and 24e, as shown, but not locked. The front wheels of an automobile to be driven in the garage pass on to platform 29. Counterweight 45a has been proportioned and adjusted' on arm 45 to be over-balanced by the weight on said front wheels and said weight carries the platform downward to rest on cross-bars 31, meanwhile causing arm 45 and weight 45a and arm 41 to move to their dotted-line position, 4moving link 47 toward the right, first causing boss 47b to raise counterweight 61 and with it counterweights 62a and 63a, thus depressing lower, door latches 62 and 63. which, being Vei'igag'edl with bars 23 and 24carry them downward and permit upper, door latches 23e and 24e to rise, thus fully releasing doors. 17 and 18 from their fastenings; and then, slot 47a having moved far enou-gh -to be-ar on pin 51, crank 51 is carried tothe right and with it rotates ratchet 52and cam through quadrant DC, which cam movement moves bar 54 to its dottedline position and operates gears 56 and 201, and 57 and 2lb to swing doors 17 and 18 open' through a quadrant. ,These movements of the several'operative parts concerned are made slowlyand evenly by the aotionofdash pot 37. In case the doors meet an obstacle to their movementthey can be stopped by a moderate force because of the reliefv provided by doorspring hinge 19. When said front wheelshave passed from platform 29 it is caused to rise to its position flush with floor 14 by the operation of'counterweight 45, Also crank 51 isfreturned to its full-line position by the operation of counterweight 51d. lVhen the automobiles rear wheels pass on to platform 29 the same operative movements as before are caused as tar as and including cam But since the cam quadrant in engagement with bar 54 during this movement is CB, which isv pla-in, bar 54 is not moved. and the doors remainopen'as before.v Said automobile passes through s aid open doors into the garage and its front wheels pass onto platform 30 which is caused to operate in every way similar to platform 29, above described, together with its connected mechanism. In this case link 48 is moved toward the left, and although the doors are open the lower door latches are depressed by the movement of boss 48b beneath counterweight 61. Also the other movements occur as far as said cam wheel which is caused to rotate through quadrant BA which` heing plain, causes no movement in bar 54, The front wheels pass from platform 30, and it, together with its connected mechanism return to their full-line positions under the weight of counterweight 46. Then the rear wheels pass on to said platform, whenl it is again depressed and causes. through intervening mechanism as described, cam wheel 53 to rotate through quadrant AD which moves bar 54 to .its full-line position and closes doors 1T and 15% which are automatically fastened by latchesI 62, 63 and 23e, 24e.

Ain automobilel leaving the garage mustpass first over platform 30 which will operate to open the doors as before because of the successive cam movements, as the front and rear wheels in turn pass over platform 30 and then platform 29, said cam is moved through quadrants DC, CB, BA and AD .in turn, and said doors will be opened and remain open until said automobile has passed from platform 29 the passing of the rear wheels over which closed said doors.

The next automobile to approach said doors, whether from without or from within, will operate said doors as already described.

In case it is desired to operate said doors by hand wit-hout regard for the automatic mechanismy described, the doors are opened and closed as any others hung` on spring hinges, and said mechanism is not disturbed.

By engaging tooth studs 55, 55 in holes 55h, 55b and in notches 54e, 54e doors 17 and 18 are caused to open outward. And by making this change of tooth stud in one gear and oval only, 'the door operated by said gear will open outwardly, while the other door will open inwardly.

oors 17 and 1S can be separately locked and unlocked from without or within.I when closed, by using locks 27 and28 as usual.

As shown, the doors move through one quarter revolution for each operative quadrant movement of the cam wheel. The mechanism could as well. be made to cause a greater or less door movement for each quadrant movement of the cam.

My improvement is very well adapted for automatically operating gates and the like. 'A

Having thus fully disclosed my invention what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. In an automatic, door-operating device in combination, a swingable door, two depressible platforms in the way closed by said door, one of said platforms on each side of said door, automatic means to raise said platforms after being depressed, and means adapted to swing. said door a preric determined part of a rotation once forward and once backward for each four consecutive times either or alternately both of said platforms are depressed, said first depressving adapted to cause said door to swing open, said second and third depressings adapted to have no operable effect on said door, and said fourth depressing adapted to close said door.

2. In an automatic, door-operating device in combination, a swingable door, two depressible platforms in the way closed by said door, one of said platforms on each side of said door; automatic means to raise said platforms after being depressed; means to swing said door a predetermined part of a rotation once forward and once backward made operative by each four consecutive de pressings of said platforms or either of them, said iirst depressing adapted to cause said door to Swing open, said second and third depressings adapted to have no operable effect on said door, and said fourth depressing adapted to close said door; automatic means to latch said door on closing; and automatic means, operable by the door operating means, to unlatch said door before opening.

3. In an automatic, door-operating device in combination, a swingable door; two platforms, depressible by not less than a predetermined weight, in the way closed by said door, one on each side of said door; automatic means to raise said platforms after being depressed; and means to swing said door a predetermined part of a rotation once forward and once backward made operative by each four consecutive depressings of said platforms or either of them, said first depressing adapted to cause said door to swing open, said second and third depressings adapted to have no operable effect on said door, and said fourth depressing adapted to close said door.

Il. In an automatic, door-operating device in combination, two,` swingable, coperating doors; two platforms, depressible by not less than a predetermined weight, in the way closed by said doors, one on each side of said doors; automatic means to raise said platforms after being depressed; and means to simultaneously swing said doors a predetermined part of a rotation once forward and once backward made operative by each four consecutive depressings of said plat-V forms or either of them, said first depressing adapted -to cause said doors to swing open, said second and third depressings adapted to cause no operative effect on said doors, and said fourth depressing adapted to close said doors.

5. In an automatic, door-operating device in combination, a door shaft mounted for rotation; a door swingably mounted on said.

shaft and engaged therewith by resilient, non-positive means; two platforms, depressible by not less than a predetermined weight, in the way closed by said door, one on each side of said door; automatic means to raise said platforms after being depressed; and means to rotate said door shaft a predetermined part of a rotation once forward and once backward made operative bv each four consecutive depressings of said platforms or either of them, said first depressing adapted to cause said door to swing open, said second and third depressingg adapted to have no operative effect on said door, and said fourth depressing adapted to close said door.

6. In an automatic, door-operating device in combination, two, cooperating door shafts mounted for rotation; a door mounted swingably on each of said shafts and engaged therewith by resilient, non-positive means; a catch for each of Said doors automatically operated by closing said doors and automatically operable to release said doors by the door-operating mechanism, and operable without using said mechanism; two platforms, depressible by not less than a predetermined weight, in the way closed by Said doors, and one on each side of said doors; automatic means to raise said platforms after being depressed; and means to swing said door shafts each a predetermined part of a rotation once forward and once backward made operative by each four consecutive depressings of said platforms or either of them, said first depressing adapted to cause said doors to swing open, said second and third depressings adapted to have no operative effect on said doors, and said fourth depressing adapted to close said doors.

7. In an automatic,door-operating device in combination, a swingable door; two platforms depressible by not less than a predetermined weight, one on each side of said door; automatic means to raise said platforms when depressed; and slowly operable means to swing said door made operative by each of two descents of said platformsv or either of them, following two descents which are non-operative to swing said door.

HARRY eRovE-s. 

